Click on the links below to navigate to the relevant section of this document.

- **Form WRA** – Application Details and Proposal Outline
- **Form WRB** – Hydropower Schemes
- **Form WRC** – Groundwater Investigation Consent
- **Form WRD** – Application for an abstraction licence
- **Form WRE** – Application for an impoundment licence
- **Form WRF** – Application for an administrative change

**Water Resources Licences – General information**

Under the Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended), an abstraction licence from Natural Resources Wales is needed if you want to abstract more than 20 cubic metres (4,400 gallons) of water a day from surface water or groundwater in Wales.

An impoundment licence is needed if you want to impede or alter the flow of inland waters. This enables us to manage the country’s water resources to protect the environment and other water users. Certain activities are exempt from licensing. See our website for details of these exemptions.

On receipt of a full licence application, we decide if the proposal needs to be advertised, based on the location of your site and the potential risk to the environment or other water users. We arrange to publish the notice in a local paper and on our website, for which you will need to pay a £100 administration fee and half of the cost of the bilingual advert. We will pay for the other half of the advert.

We have a statutory duty to consult with other organisations when proposed abstractions or impoundments have the potential to impact on sites (or species) that have been designated as important in respect of conservation, landscape or heritage.

Applications for temporary abstraction licences will be determined within 28 days. All other licence applications will be determined within 3 months or 4 months if advertising is required, in line with our statutory responsibilities.

Since 2004, we are legally required to include a time limit on new or varied abstraction licences to enable us to reassess abstractions in line with the catchment’s resource availability. If you wish to continue to abstract following your licence expiry, you must apply to renew your licence at least 3 months in advance of the expiry date.

Following determination, we include conditions on new licences which specify the terms of the licence. If we issue an abstraction licence, there is no guarantee that the amount of water you are authorised to abstract will be available (this could be due to environmental conditions) or that the quality of water will be suitable for the licensed purpose.

You can appeal to The Planning Inspectorate if: • you are not happy with the conditions we have included on your licence • we refuse your application • we do not process your application on time • we serve notice on you regarding the type or number of applications you have applied for

We will send details of how you can make an appeal when we begin and finish determining your application.

Which forms do you need? The table below shows which forms are required for your proposal, or changes to your existing licence. It also shows whether a fee is required. Our current application fees are detailed on our website.

| Application type | Application fee | Forms required | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------| | Pre-application enquiry - non-hydropower applications. | No | WRA | | Pre-application enquiry - hydropower applications | No | WRA & WRB | | Groundwater Investigation Consent | No | WRC | | New full abstraction licence: for abstractions from a surface or groundwater source greater than 20 cubic metres per day (m³/day) for a period of more than 28 consecutive days. | Yes | WRA\* & WRD | | New temporary abstraction licence: for abstractions greater than 20 m³/day for a period of less than 28 consecutive days. Note we can only issue one temporary licence to an applicant for the same purpose and from the same source of supply. | Yes | WRA\* & WRD | | New licence to transfer water: for abstractions greater than 20 m³/day to transfer from one source of supply to another without an intervening use for a period of more than 28 consecutive days. | Yes | WRA\* & WRD | | Renewal of a time-limited licence: to renew a licence nearing expiry, under the same or different terms. You must submit this form at least 3 months before your existing licence is due to expire. | Yes | WRA\* & WRD | | Technical variation of an abstraction licence: to make a change to an existing licence which cannot be captured within form WRF\*\*. | Yes | WRA\* & WRD | | New impoundment licence: if you plan to construct, alter or remove an impounding structure (weir or dam) to obstruct, impede or divert the flow of inland water. | Yes | WRA\* & WRE | | Remove an existing impoundment. | Yes | WRA & WRE | | Technical variation of an impoundment licence, such as an alteration to the structure. | Yes | WRA & WRE | | To make an administration change to an existing licence which does not require any consultation, such as updating Licence Holder name and address. | No | WRF | | Reduce the quantity of water you abstract. | No | WRF | | Revoke (cancel) your licence | No | WRF | | Transfer the whole of an abstraction or impoundment licence from one person or company to another. | No | WRF | If you have completed and submitted form WRA as part of a pre-application enquiry, and there have been no changes to your proposal it is not necessary to resubmit it as part of your formal application.

\*\*A technical variation to a licence is one which requires us to consult internally and possibly externally before we can reach a decision. For instance, a change to the means of abstraction or impoundment is considered a technical variation as amended drawings will need to be checked. An administrative variation does not require consultation and includes amendments to the Licence Holder’s name or address or a reduction in abstraction quantities. If the change(s) you propose are not on form WRF, you will need to apply for a technical variation.

Cost of applications The current application costs are available in our Abstraction Charges Scheme on our website.

We will not progress with your application where no or an incorrect fee has been submitted or when forms are not fully completed and we have insufficient information to make a decision.

Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Natural Resources Wales and crossed ‘a/c payee only.’ On the back of your cheque you should make a note of your proposal name and application reference number. The fee must be submitted with your completed application form and supporting documents. We can accept card payments by Visa, MasterCard or Maestro cards only. Please include a cover note asking us to call you to arrange payment. If you choose to pay by electronic transfer (BACS), you will need to use the following information to make your payment. Include your reference number on your application form.

Company name: Natural Resources Wales Company address: Income Dept, Cambria House, 29 Newport Road, Cardiff CF24 0TP Bank: Citigroup Centre Address: Canada Square, London, E14 5LB Sort code: 08-33-00 Account number: 12800578 IBAN number: GB48 CITI833 0012 8005 78 SWIFTBIC number: CITI GB2LXXX Email details to: online@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Or fax details to: 0300 065 3001

You need to create a unique reference number for each application fee. It should begin with PRC (to reflect that the application is for a permitting activity) and it should include up to the first 8 letters of your company/individual name with a 3 digit pin number e.g. PRCXXXXXXX123.

Where to send your completed form(s) For an improved service, we encourage you to submit your application(s) electronically. Please send your completed application form and any supporting information by email to permitreceiptcentre@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk or by post to: To find a National Grid Reference Your application form will ask for a National Grid Reference (NGR). To find out an NGR go to www.gridreferencefinder.com.

- Enter your postcode
- Locate the position of your point (abstraction / discharge)
- Right click at this location to view your 12 digit grid reference If you do not have access to the internet, you could look for your grid reference by using an Ordnance Survey map.

Data Protection Act 1998 The information provided by you will be processed by Natural Resources Wales in line with the Data Protection Principles to enable us to process your application, to monitor compliance with the licence/registration conditions, to process renewals, and for maintaining the relevant public register.

We may process and/or disclose the information in connection with the following:

- Consultation with third parties who are relevant and responsible for responding to consultation requests from NRW to enable us to process your application.
- Providing \*public register information for enquiries
- Prevent and investigate possible breaches of environmental law and taking any resulting action
- Responding to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, where the Data Protection Act allows
- Carrying out statistical analysis, research and development on environmental issues

\*Public Register Water Resources abstraction and impoundment licences are determined in line with the following legislation:

- Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended by the Water Act 2003),
- Environment Act 1995
- The Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) Regulations 2006 (as amended by the Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) (Amendment) Regulations 2008)
- The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2012

These require Natural Resources Wales to keep a register of licences and supporting documents including the name and address of the applicant, the date of the application and brief particulars of its proposals except where exclusions apply.

Exclusions of confidential information or information affecting national security When submitting your application you may give us notice stating that in your opinion the inclusion of the information on a public register would be contrary to the interests of national security, or may be commercially confidential.

To support this you must provide us with a statement or documents detailing why you believe the exclusions apply. We will assess your reasons and decide if we can uphold your request. Where this is the case we will place on the public register a statement indicating the existence of the exempt information. Where we do not uphold your request we will inform you of our decision and any further options available to you to dispute our decision.

**Who can apply for a licence and sign the forms?**

Each individual (or individual trustee) who is applying for their name to appear on the licence must complete this declaration.

| Type of Licence Holder | Signature needed: | |-------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Individual / sole trader | \*The Licence Holder | | Registered company | Company director or company secretary | | Organisation of individuals (other than partnerships, trusts and charities) | The chairman, treasurer, secretary or other person authorised to represent the organisation | | Partnership | One or more of the partners | | Trust | All trustees or the chairman, treasurer or secretary | | Charity | A person authorised to sign documents on behalf of the charity | | Public body (i.e. a local authority) | A person authorised to sign on behalf of the organisation |

- If an agent is to sign on behalf of the Licence Holder, a letter of authorisation from the Licence Holder is required.

On the application form, you need to provide us with the following details, depending on the type of applicant you are.

| If the applicant is... | Then they must provide: | |------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | An individual | their full name | | A company | the address of the Registered Office and a company registration number, in line with Companies House records | | An organisation of individuals (other than partnerships, trusts secretary or other person and charities – see below) | • full names and addresses of all partners\
• the trading name\
• the trading address | | A club or charity | • give the full names and addresses of all trustees\
• give the name and address of the person authorised to receive the licence on their behalf |

**Form WRA - About you & your proposal (pre-application & formal)**

We recommend you seek pre-application advice from us before submitting a formal application for an abstraction or impoundment licence or for complex variations to existing licences. To do this, complete Form WRA with your details and the details of your proposal. If you are submitting a hydropower pre-application enquiry, complete forms WRA and WRB. We will consult on your plans and tell you how successful your application is likely to be, and offer you bespoke advice on submitting a formal application. There is no application charge for this service.

If no changes are required to your proposal following our pre-application advice, you can submit a formal application by completing either Form WRD (abstraction) and/or Form WRE (impoundment), and providing the appropriate application fee. If changes are made to your proposal on the basis of our advice, you must complete a new Form WRA and submit this with either Form WRD and/or WRE and the application fee.

Section 1 – Application type and fee Specify the type of application you wish to apply for. If your proposal involves multiple licence types, tick all that apply (i.e. an abstraction and impoundment licence to authorise a hydropower scheme).

Provide details of how you wish to pay your application fee (there is no charge for pre-application enquiries or administrative variations) and provide a reference number, where relevant. Please note the ‘Cost of applications’ section above.

Section 2 – Applicant type This is who the licence would be issued to, and must be a legal entity. The tables above clarify who can act as signatories. If you are a registered company or charity or a limited liability partnership, you must provide your registration number and your UK registered address. Where additional details are required (i.e. names and addresses of all partners of a club/charity), please include these on a separate sheet. Our correspondence with you will be via email unless you specify otherwise in this section.

You can nominate other individuals as the contact for activities related to your proposal. You are not required to provide these details for a pre-application enquiry. Provide these details in Section 3. For temporary, transfer or impoundment licences, you do not need to provide an invoice contact or abstraction records (returns) contact.

Operations (on site) contact: this is the contact for the day-to-day running of the operation. Invoice contact: this is required for abstractions which incur an annual charge. This charge is calculated using a number of factors, see our Abstraction Charging Scheme on our website. No annual charges are incurred by temporary, transfer or impoundment licences or abstraction licences for power generation less than 5 Megawatts. Bills are sent out annually or bi-annually for spray irrigators operating under a two part tariff billing agreement. Application fees and annual charges are subject to change each April. Abstraction records (returns) contact: The holder of an abstraction licence is usually required to measure the volumes of water they take and report these volumes to us at a certain time. If customers abstract water all year, their abstraction records (returns) letter will be sent around April. If they abstract only in the summer months, the returns letter will be sent around October. The conditions of your abstraction licence will tell you how often you need to record the amount of water you abstract and most licences will also ask you to submit a record of your actual abstraction (known as ‘returns’) to us. Even if you have not abstracted any water, you must submit a ‘nil’ return if your licence states that you must report your water use. If you do not submit your record of actual abstraction when required to do so, we may take enforcement action against you. If you spray irrigate and hold a two part tariff billing agreement your charges are partially calculated on the amount of water abstracted. To gain the full financial benefits of this agreement it is important that you submit your returns, even if you have not abstracted any water.

Section 3 – Agent or nominated individual details Provide details of an agent or individual nominated as a point of contact for any of the purposes outlined in Section 2. If this person is signing on behalf of the applicant, please include a letter of authorisation from the applicant allowing the agent to sign on their behalf.

Section 4 – Entitlement to apply This section relates solely to formal applications to abstract water. The Supporting Guidance Note (SGN) 1 ‘Rights of access guidance for abstraction licences’ on our website outlines the evidence required by NRW to demonstrate that an applicant has a legal right of access to the point of abstraction (including underground strata for groundwater abstractions) for a period of at least one year or the duration of the licence. This document also includes a template agreement to enable you to provide evidence of your access entitlement. We strongly recommend that you refer to this document ahead of submitting any pre-application or formal application for an abstraction licence.

Section 5 – Application reference number If you have undertaken a pre-application enquiry, provide your application reference number. If you have had any discussions with us about your proposal, include the staff member’s name here.

Section 6 – Remediation work Specify here if your proposal is as a result of our Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme or other remediation work, to prevent and reduce environmental damage.

Section 7 – Source of Supply 7.1 Tick the relevant box to indicate if you intend to abstract from surface water (e.g. stream, leat, spring) or groundwater (borehole, mine, unlined excavation). If you are unsure which option to choose, seek advice from us. If you have a Groundwater Investigation Consent, you should include the consent number here. If you have not yet provided us with the results of your pumping test, attach them to this application. For proposals which involve investigating a new groundwater source, you should read Guidance Note WRC for information on this type of application and contact our Geoscience team (geoscience@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk) before submitting a Groundwater Investigation Consent enquiry.

7.2 Provide a 12 digit National Grid Reference (NGR) for your proposal (e.g. ST 19057 76826). This can be a central or key point on your site for large scale proposals. Page 4 details how to derive your NGR from a postcode.

7.3 Include the name of the source of supply or location of the proposed impoundment (e.g. Afon Glaslyn).

7.4 Provide the site name or reference (e.g. Tŷ Mawr Farm) for your proposal. The latter is how we may refer to your proposal in our correspondence.

Section 8 – Proposal summary You must provide a summary of your proposal here. If you are submitting a pre-application enquiry for an abstraction licence, this section must include the quantities you intend to abstract - from the instantaneous/peak abstraction rate (in litres per second (l/s)) and the hourly (m³/hour), daily (m³/day) and annual quantities (m³/year) you require. You should also include the period when you want to abstract. For temporary licences, you just need to specify the total quantity (m³) and peak abstraction rate (l/s).

As a guide, this section should include a description of the activities which (will) take place at your site, the means of abstraction/impoundment proposed, if the proposal is related to another licence or consent (i.e. an Environmental Consent to Discharge Water) and details of any survey work undertaken. For changes to existing licences, summarise the changes proposed. Sketches or photographs that will aid our understanding of your proposal can also be included here.

The amount of detail you provide should be relative to the complexity of your proposal. If you are unsure of the level of detail required, contact us for advice.

**FORM WRB – Hydropower Schemes**

Complete this form for hydropower pre-application enquiries only. Before you apply, we recommend you read the suite of Hydropower Guidance Notes (HGN) on our website to understand our approach to licensing hydropower schemes. HGN2: Hydropower Flow Standards will enable you to identify the zone your proposal would be classified as and the indicative abstraction regime we are likely to authorise. This can then be confirmed following a pre-application enquiry.

HGN 8 Fish Passage and HGN 9 Fish Screening provides details on measures required to protect fish and eels at your site. HGN 10 Geomorphology outlines our requirements for a Stage 1 photo survey and HGN 13 Approvals, Licenses and Consents details the permissions required from ourselves and your local Planning Authority. Please submit a copy of any advice received from your Planning Authority.

Please send us a copy of the full flow duration curve for the site and confirm the method used to derive this. If you have used modelling software such as LowFlows, please provide us with a copy of the output (graph, data and catchment map) including the Long Term Average rainfall. This is so that we can verify your flow values and catchment size.

**FORM WRC – Groundwater Investigation Consent**

Guidance Note WRC includes information to assist you to complete your application for a Groundwater Investigation Consent.

**FORM WRD – Abstraction licences**

**Section 1 – Application type**

Specify the type of application you are making. If you had previously undertaken a pre-application enquiry, provide your reference number. This will enable us to utilise the Form WRA you submitted, assuming no changes have been made to your proposal since then. Any changes should be reflected in a new Form WRA to be submitted with your formal application. If you wish to make a technical variation to an abstraction licence, provide the existing licence serial number here. See ‘Water Resources Licensing – General Information’ section above for clarification on the difference between technical and administrative variations. For hydropower abstractions, you must specify the capacity of your scheme from one of the four options provided. This determines the application charge for your proposal in line with our Abstraction Charges Scheme.

**Section 2 – Linked licences** Water rights trading is where a Licence Holder sells all or part of their abstraction licence rights, permanently or temporarily, to another person. If your proposal involves water rights trading, provide the licence serial number(s) for all relevant licences.

If the quantities applied for are to be aggregated (shared) with any other licence which you hold, provide this licence serial number. This will mean that each licence will have an individual abstraction limit and there will also be an overall limit on the total amount you can abstract under all licences. That total will be less than the sum of the individual abstraction limits.

**Section 3 – Abstraction details** Provide a 12 digit National Grid Reference (NGR) and name/reference for all points of abstraction which corresponds with any maps or drawings submitted. Specify if the abstraction location is a single point or reach (a stretch of water along which you may abstract at any point). If you propose to abstract from a reach, provide the two NGRs which define the extent of the reach (upstream and downstream NGRs).

**Section 4 – Means of abstraction** Provide full details of the equipment you propose to use in order to abstract the quantities you are applying for. The design of any fixed intake structures will be included in the licence. For groundwater abstractions, include details about the borehole (depth and diameter) and details of screening and lining.

If your proposal includes a fixed intake structure you must enclose drawings, plans and cross sections of the intake design that clearly indicate the dimensions of the structure and the size of any associated pipework. These will be appended to the licence document. Minor amendments to drawings made prior to construction can be agreed with NRW. Your licence will include details of how to do this. Revisions of drawings post-construction may require a technical variation to your licence.

**Section 5 – Abstraction quantities** Provide the purpose, period and volumes you propose to abstract for each abstraction point. If water is to be used for multiple purposes (i.e. dust suppression and mineral washing), provide a breakdown of the abstraction quantities for each different use. You need to give the instantaneous/peak abstraction rate (in litres per second (l/s)) and the hourly (m³/hour), daily (m³/day) and annual quantities (m³/year) you require for each purpose.

If you are applying to amend the quantities you are authorised to abstract under an existing licence, state the new quantities you wish to abstract. To reduce the quantities you abstract, complete Form WRF.

For hydropower abstractions, please read HGN2: Hydropower Flow Standards for confirmation of the maximum instantaneous abstraction rate we will authorise for each zone.

For temporary licences, you only need to specify the total quantity (m³) and peak abstraction rate (l/s). Section 6 – Calculations and supporting information Use this section to show us how you have derived the abstraction quantities you are applying for. This can include details of your operational regime (number of hours/days you intend to abstract), any non-statutory management agreements or irrigation practice, i.e. pump capacity multiplied by hours of operation. For example, a management agreement could be reached between a group of abstractors to protect downstream water users. If your proposal involves the provision of a residual flow via a notch or orifice, provide information on how this has been calculated. This should include details of the equation used.

Section 7 – Industry-specific requirements Applications are assessed on your justification of the quantities requested. We use this information to determine if the volumes you propose to abstract are appropriate for that purpose. To do this we need to understand your demand for water and how it relates to the scale of your operation. This section is broken down into the main abstraction purposes we authorise. If your intended use is not covered here, use the examples as a basis for demonstrating to us how you have calculated the amount of water you require (i.e. number of units, area etc). The tables include examples to assist you. We will cross-reference this with our data to ascertain if the quantities you propose are in line with the recommended optimum use for your sector.

7.4 Hydropower Complete these tables with the details of your hydropower scheme and flow data. See HGN2: Flow Standards for more information. State the length (in metres) of the depleted reach. This is the distance between the abstraction and discharge points.

If you have completed these tables on form WRB as part of a pre-application enquiry, and your proposal has not changed since then, you do not need to complete these again.

You will need to submit a copy of the full flow duration curve for the site and confirm the method used to derive this. If you have used modelling software such as LowFlows, you will need to submit a copy of the output (graph, data and catchment map) including the Long Term Average rainfall. This is so that we can verify your flow values and catchment size.

Section 8 – Means of measurement For each abstraction point we need to know how you intend to measure the quantities you abstract. This may be using a water meter, based on pipe size, or pump capacity and the duration of abstraction. Depending on the size of your operation or the sensitivity of the location, measurement of quantities and submission or maintenance of this data are likely to be a condition of your licence. This is not a requirement of temporary or transfer licences.

For hydropower applications, you can use the power generated to calculate your abstracted quantities. We will supply you with a calculation checklist to record the site data and calculate the Hydro Abstraction Factor for the site to allow conversion of electrical output to quantities abstracted.

Section 9 – Water efficiency Provide details of what measures you have applied or intend to implement to ensure efficient use of water. This could include water storage, re-use or recirculation, monitoring and checking for leaks, undertaking water audits or other industry-specific good practice.

**Section 10 – Fish and eel considerations** We have duties to safeguard fish and European eels and need to know how you intend to protect these at your site. Any measures to safeguard fish and eels need to be included on your drawings (details and dimensions). See our guidance notes HGN 8 Fish Passage and HGN 9 Fish Screening on our website for details of good practice for fish and eel considerations. The Environment Agency’s ‘Screening for Intake and Outfalls: a best practice guide,’ ‘Elver and Eel Passes’ and the ‘The Eel Manual,’ available on their website, are useful guides to assist you. See also the ‘Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009’ regulatory position statement for details of how we will implement the regulations.

10.1 Confirm the fish species present at your site. If you completed a pre-application, we will have made you aware of this. If no measures are proposed, you must justify this. For example, we may have confirmed in our pre-application response that the intake is inaccessible to fish, or you undertook a fish survey to confirm this.

10.2 Complete the table to detail the measures you propose to include to protect the fish species present at your site. Provide details of all screening proposed.

If, following your pre-application enquiry, we advised you that a formal (technical) fish pass is required, please complete form FP002.

**Section 11 – Discharge Details** 11.1 If you intend to return any abstracted water to the environment, we also need to consider the impact of this. Do not include discharges to a public sewage system. Provide details of the discharge location using names/references which correspond with any maps submitted, 12 digit NGR and quantities to be discharged. An Environment Permit for Water Discharge Activity may be required to authorise a discharge to surface or groundwater. If you already hold such a permit at this site, provide the consent number. If you are unsure if a consent is required, contact us before you submit your formal application.

11.2 Provide a description of the structure and equipment involved in the discharge. This will help our understanding of how the environment could be impacted by the proposed return of water.

**Section 12 – Other abstractors / water users** We need to consider how your proposal could impact other abstractors or water users. Provide details of any nearby abstractors you are aware of. You should also consider deregulated water users (who abstract less than 20 cubic metres a day) or exempt activities. Your Local Authority’s Environmental Health department will hold details of exempt domestic abstractors under the Private Water Supplies Regulations. You should also consider anglers or canoeists and other water users, who may be affected by your proposal. Early dialogue with any such water users is encouraged. Section 13 – Planning application Confirm if you have sought advice from your local Planning Authority about your proposal. If applicable, provide a copy of their response with your application.

FORM WRE– Impoundment licences Before you apply for an impoundment licence, we recommend you read our Low Risk Impoundment regulatory position statement on our website. This outlines the types of proposals or scenarios which do not require an impoundment licence. For impoundments, we advise you submit a pre-application enquiry to us to determine if we require any additional information or surveys as part of your formal application.

Section 1 – Application type Specify the type of application you wish to apply for. If you are applying for a technical variation or to remove an existing impoundment, provide the licence serial number. It is an offence to remove or partially remove impounding works without a licence or without complying with any conditions that we may set. This applies to any impounding works, whether they are currently authorised by a licence or not. We need to licence or condition the removal of impounding works in order to regulate them.

If you have already submitted Form WRA for a pre-application enquiry, give your enquiry reference number. If you do not know the licence serial number, or the impoundment is unlicensed, specify this in your application.

Section 2 – Impoundment details 2.1 Provide a 12 digit NGR and name/reference for all points of impoundment, which correspond with any maps or drawings submitted. If you propose to impound a reach, provide the NGRs of the left and right bank, as you look downstream.

2.2 Provide details about the type of impoundment you propose to construct at the points specified in 2.1 and how the works will operate. This should include a description of any existing works and how your proposal will affect the flow of inland water. Tell us the purpose of the works. If the water is to be impounded for more than one purpose, list both the primary and secondary purpose.

Section 3 – Description of impoundment For this section, use the same name/reference as provided in 2.1 and on any maps submitted. 3.1 Provide the name of the watercourse where the impoundment is to be located if known. If your proposal is offline, give the name of the nearest watercourse. This may be how we will refer to your proposal in our correspondence.

3.2 We need to know if your proposal will result in a change to the wetted perimeter (downstream) or new submerged areas behind (upstream of) the impounding works. This will help us understand the impact of your plans. Mark these areas on any map submitted.

3.3 State whether the ponded area will be lined, and if so, provide details of what kind of liner you will be using in the submerged area. If the area is not lined, we may need to consider if there is connectivity with groundwater.

3.4 Provide the height of the proposed structure, as measured from the top of the downstream toe of the structure to the crest or top of the spillway. If your proposal involves an amendment to an existing impoundment, state the change in height which your proposal will result in.

3.5 Confirm the level of the overflow or crest of the dam in metres above Ordnance Datum. This is the height above which water will overtop the structure and enter the watercourse downstream.

3.6 Tell us the planned capacity, in cubic metres, of the works when full to spillway level. Raised reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres or more must be registered with us. If your proposal involves a reservoir with a capacity of more than 10,000 cubic metres, you are advised contact our Reservoir Safety team (reservoirs@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk) to discuss forthcoming amendments to the Reservoir Act 1975 under Schedule 4 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

3.7 Clarify if your proposal will create a raised reservoir. A raised reservoir is one where water is stored at a level above the natural level of the lowest level of the surrounding area.

3.8 If your proposal involves the controlled release of water to safeguard downstream flows, state where and how this will occur. This could be the release of flood attenuation flows, reservoir compensation flows or a residual flow via a notch or orifice. Tell us what the proposed flow at the outlet will be and how you intend to measure this. If the works involve monitoring of levels or flows, include details of this.

3.9 We want to know if you intend to use the impounded water for a subsequent purpose and what this use will be. If you intend to abstract water from the impounded area, state the amount you will abstract each day and year. This will help us understand if another permission is required for your proposal.

3.10 We want to know how the impounded area will be filled initially and how any subsequent refills will be undertaken, for example by rainwater, overland flow or pumped from another source. This will help us understand if other permissions are required as part of your proposal.

Section 4 - Fish and eel considerations We have duties to safeguard fish and European eels and need to know how you intend to protect these at your site. Any measures to safeguard fish and eels need to be included on your drawings (details and dimensions). See our guidance notes HGN 8 Fish Passage and HGN 9 Fish Screening on our website for details of good practice for fish and eel considerations. The Environment Agency’s ‘Screening for Intake and Outfalls: a best practice guide,’ ‘Elver and Eel Passes’ and the ‘The Eel Manual,’ available on their website, are useful guides to assist you. See also the ‘Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009’ regulatory position statement for details of how we will implement the regulations.

4.1 Confirm the fish species are present at your site. If you completed a pre-application, we will have made you aware of this. If no measures are proposed, you must justify this. For example, we may have confirmed in our pre-application response that the intake is inaccessible to fish, or you undertook a fish survey to confirm this.

4.2 Complete the table to detail the measures you propose to include to protect the fish species present at your site. Provide full details of any screening proposed (intake and outfall) and confirm the type of upstream and/or downstream passage planned. If, following your pre-application enquiry, we advised you that a formal (technical) fish pass is required, please complete form FP002 and send to the Natural Resource’s Planning Team in your area.

**Section 5 – Construction, maintenance and operation**

5.1 Provide details of maintenance or activities relating to the operation of the impounding works. Include the extent and frequency of activities. This could include the operation of scour valves or maintenance of a fish pass. Describe any sediment management plan associated with the impoundment. We need to consider if these activities will have any impact on the watercourse in themselves.

5.2 Provide details of the diversion works required as part of construction. If your proposal involves the removal of existing works, provide details of this. If you wish to include a method statement, make a reference to this document in the space provided.

**Section 6 – Planning application**

Confirm if you have sought advice from your local Planning Authority about your proposal. If applicable, provide a copy of their response with your application.

**Additional information required – Drawings and design statement**

For impoundment applications, full detailed scale drawings of your proposal showing how you will ensure physical protection of any residual flow and/or any flow split should be submitted with your formal licence application. Drawings should also include any fish passage or screening proposed as part of your application. The drawings should meet the following minimum requirements:

- Location Plan at 1:5,000, 1:10,000 or larger scale, subject to the extent of the development with the land boundary clearly marked.
- Site plans of the intake and discharge structures at 1:1,250 or 1:2,500.
- Plan, profile and cross-section drawings for the impounding structure at a scale of 1:50 or higher resolution to show construction detail. These must detail weir crest, intake and residual flow structure crest heights or invert levels with reference to an appropriate datum point, for example Ordnance Datum.
- A design statement clearly explaining how the structure will operate in accordance with the abstraction regime, including details of how any residual flow will be maintained. Supporting design calculations of these must be included.

**FORM WRF – Administrative Variations to Existing Licences**

See text in the ‘Water Resources Licences – General information’ section of this Guidance Note for clarification on what constitutes an administrative change to a licence.

**Section 1 – Type of variation**

Indicate what type of change you wish to make to your licence. The form specifies which sections you are required to complete, based on the type of change proposed. **Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10 must be completed for ALL types of administrative variations.**

**Section 2 – The licence you want to change**

2.1 Provide the licence serial number(s) of the licence(s) you want to change. 2.2 Specify here if your proposal is as a result of our Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme, or other remediation work, to prevent and reduce environmental damage.

2.3 Water rights trading is where a Licence Holder sells all or part of their abstraction licence rights, permanently or temporarily, to another person. If your proposal involves water rights trading, provide the other licence serial number.

Next complete Sections 3, 7, 9 and 10.

Section 3 – Current Licence Holder details Provide the current Licence Holder’s details here. The table on Page 4 clarifies who can act as signatories. If you are a registered company or charity or a limited liability partnership, you must provide your registration number and your UK registered address. Where additional details are required (i.e. names and addresses of all partners of a club or charity), please include these on a separate sheet. You can nominate other individuals as the contact for this variation. Provide this person’s details in Section 4.

Section 4 – Agent or nominated individual details Provide details of an agent or individual nominated as a point of contact for any of the purposes outlined below. If this person is signing on behalf of the Licence Holder, please include a letter of authorisation from that person allowing the agent to sign on their behalf.

Operations (on site) contact: this is the contact for the day-to-day running of the operation. Invoice contact: this is required for abstractions that incur an annual charge. See text in Form WRA Section 2 of this guidance note for more information about charges. Abstraction records (returns) contact: The holder of an abstraction licence is required to measure the volumes of water they take and report these volumes to us at a certain time of year. See text in Form WRA Section 2 of this guidance note for more information about abstraction records.

Section 5 – Administrative changes For administrative changes to licence conditions, complete the table provided. You should state what aspect of the current licence you wish to amend in the first column, the change you propose in the second column and the reason for this change in the third column. Repeat this for all change requests. Next complete Section 10.

Section 6 – Reduction in licensed quantities 6.1 For each abstraction point, specify in cubic metres the current quantities authorised by your licence and state the new volumes you propose. You must give the annual, daily and hourly maximum quantities you require.

6.2 If the licensed quantities you wish to change are aggregated (shared) with any other licences you hold, provide these licence serial number(s). We will then consider the amendments required to the other licence(s). Next complete Section 10.

Section 7 – Revocation declaration Please enclose your original licence with the application. All licences It is important you understand that, if you want to apply for a new licence following revocation, we may not be able to issue a new licence on the same terms, or at all. Any future proposal would be assessed as a brand new application, based on the resource availability at that time.

Abstraction / impoundment licence Tick the statements that apply to the licence(s) you wish to revoke. Next complete Section 10.

Section 8 – Transfer of Licence Holder / Apportioning a Licence You can choose to transfer the entire licence to another person/company or you can apportion a share of your licensed quantities to another person/company. You must both complete this form. If the new Licence Holder is a company, you must provide the address of the Registered Office and a company registration number, in line with Companies House records

8.1 Specify whether you want to transfer or apportion the licence in this section. For both purposes, complete the rest of Section 8 and then Section 10. For apportionments, also complete Section 9.

8.2 Confirm what date you want the transfer to take place.

8.3 Give the details of the proposed new Licence Holder. Confirm who the contact should be for operations, invoices and abstraction returns. For each of these purposes, select the original or the new Licence Holder. See Form WRA Section 2 in this document for more details.

8.4 For transfers or apportionment, the proposed new Licence Holder must have a legal right to the point of abstraction. Confirm if the proposed new Licence Holder has a right of access or owns/occupies the land. This is required to demonstrate that an applicant has a legal right of access to the point of abstraction (including underground strata for groundwater abstractions) for a period of at least one year or the duration of the licence. See SGN1 (‘Rights of access guidance for abstraction licences’) on our website for more information. You must submit a map showing the extent of the new Licence Holder’s land ownership with the point(s) of abstraction clearly marked or the evidence outlined in SGN1.

Section 9 – Apportionments of quantities For apportionments only, complete this table to show how the licensed quantities will be split between multiple Licence Holders. State the period of abstraction (either dates or number of hours a day) and the annual, daily and hourly maximum quantities in cubic metres.

Section 10 – Signatures This section must be completed for all types of administrative variations. If your proposal involves an administrative change, a reduction in quantities or a revocation, you should sign this section.

If your proposal involves a transfer of Licence Holder or apportionment of quantities, all parties need to sign this section. See the section above ‘Who can apply for a licence and sign the forms?’ for details of who the authorised signatories are for companies and groups of people. **Death or bankruptcy of a Licence Holder**

If the Licence Holder dies or is an individual who is declared bankrupt, the licence can become the responsibility of (can be ‘vested’ to) their trustee. No form is required but the trustee must notify us in writing within 15 months that they are responsible for the licence. If they do not notify us within 15 months, the licence will cease to have effect. There is no guarantee a new licence on the same terms could be issued in the future.

If you are transferring the licence into your name within this 15 month period and the original Licence Holder is unavailable to sign the form, documentary evidence will need to be submitted to authorise the transfer, for instance a copy of a death certificate.

**Further assistance**

If you are unsure about any aspect of this form, phone us on 0300 065 3000 (Mon-Fri, 8am - 6pm) or email enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Please consult our website for details of other permissions which may be required as part of your proposal.